IT SAYS THE DHARMA
IS THAT WAY. THE WAY OF SAGELY KINGS IS LEVEL AND EVEN, FROM HIGH
ANTIQUITY THEIR RULE THE SAME; THE SINGLE VEHICLE'S POOR TO THE
MYSTERIOUS, TO WHICH ALL BUDDHAS HAVE IDENTICALLY CERTIFIED. THEREFORE, OF
ALL BUDDHAS THE DHARMA IS THAT WAY: IN INFINITE WORLDS THEY ALWAYS TURN
THE WHEEL OF DHARMA WHICH IS INFINITE THAT WAY, CAUSING ALL LIVING BEINGS
TO RETURN TO THE ORIGIN AND GO BACK TO THE SOURCE. TO THE EXHAUSTION OF
THE BOUNDARIES OF THE FUTURE, THEY DO NOT REST.

COMMENTARY:

IT
SAYS THE DHARMA IS THAT WAY. The first cause said that the Dharma should
be that way. Now it explains that kind of cause, what is meant by
"the Dharma should be that way." THE WAY OF SAGELY KINGS IS
LEI/EL AND EVEN, FROM HIGH ANTIQUITY THEIR RULE THE SAME. The Way of
kingship of all under heaven is level and even, i.e., uniform. "From
high antiquity" means covering an extensive period of time, during
all of which period they have based their actions upon that rule and
traveled along that track. THE SINGLE VEHICLE'S DOOR TO THE MYSTERIOUS.
The Flower Adornment Sutra is the Single Vehicle's door to the mysterious
and wonderful, TO WHICH ALL BUDDHAS HAVE IDENTICALLY CERTIFIED. All
Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time have testified
to that inconceivable state.

THEREFORE,
OF ALL BUDDHAS THE DHARMA IS THAT WAY: IN INFINITE WORLDS a11 of them
teach in just that way. In infinitely many worlds THEY ALWAYS TURN THE
WHEEL OF DHARMA WHICH IS INFINITE THAT WAY. They all constantly turn the
great Dharma wheel, the wheel of Dharma, which is that way, of the Flower
Adornment Sutra’s multi-layered and inexhaustible principles. What are
they doing always turning the Dharma wheel? They are CAUSING ALL LIVING
BEINGS of the ten directions and the three periods of time TO RETURN TO
THE ORIGIN AND GO BACK TO THE SOURCE, to go back to their original face
and return to their own source, which is also the source of all Buddhas,
the source of all Buddhas being just the source of all living
beings' own self-nature. TO THE EXHAUSTION OF THE BOUNDARIES OF THE FUTURE
THEY DO NOT REST. They constantly turn the inexhaustible Dharma wheel and
do not rest. That is the First Cause: because the Dharma should be that
way.

PROLOGUE:

THEREFORE,
IN THE INCONCEIVABILITIES CHAPTER IT MAKES CLEAR THAT ALL BUDDHAS ARE ABLE
IN A SINGLE BOW TO MAKE MANIFEST BY TRANSFORMATION HEADS AS MANY AS FINE
MOTES OF DUST IN INEFFABLY INEFFABLE BUDDHA KSHETRAS; AND THAT EVERY HEAD
TRANSFORMS AS MANY TONGUES; AND THAT EVERY TONGUE EMITS AS MANY SOUNDS; UP
TO AND INCLUDING TEXTS AND MEANINGS OF PHRASES EACH ONE OF WHICH
COMPLETELY FILLS ALL DHARMA REALMS WITHOUT EXHAUSTION.

COMMENTARY:

THEREFORE,
IN THE INCONCEIVABILITIES CHAPTER IT MAKES CLEAR. The passage occurs in
the Inconceivability Chapter of the Flower Adornment Sutra, in which it is
explained how the states of all the Buddhas of the ten directions and the
three periods of time in teaching and transforming living beings are
inconceivable, infinitely many in number, and THAT ALL BUDDHAS ARE ABLE IN
A SINGLE BUDDHA BODY, their one Buddha, Body, TO MAKE MANIFEST BY
TRANSFORMATION HEADS—"heads" here meaning
"bodies"— AS MANY AS FINE MOTES OF DUST IN INEFFABLY INEFFABLE
BUDDHA KSHETRAS. "Ineffably ineffable" means there are so many
there is no way to discuss them all or make them all understood.

AND
THAT EVERY HEAD TRANSFORMS AS MANY TONGUES. In each and every head, that
is, in each and every Buddha's person or body, there manifests by
transformation as many tongues, meaning tongues as many in number as fine
motes of dust in that many Buddha kshetras. They all bring forth the
appearance of a vast and long tongue.

AND
THAT EVERY TONGUE EMITS AS MANY SOUNDS. Those tongues speak the Dharma, UP
TO AND INCLUDING TEXTS AMD MEANINGS OF PHRASES, EACH ONE OF WHICH
COMPLETELY FILLS ALL DHARMA REALMS WITHOUT EXHAUSTION. "Up to and
including" is a summarizing expression which comprises sounds and
heads and tongues, up to and including all texts and all of the meanings
and principles contained in each sentence or phrase, the texts and
meanings of phrases all completely fill all Dharma Realms without
exhaustion that is, they are infinite—the reason being that all Buddhas
never rest. And so, the more Dharma is spoken, the more there is; and the
more there is, the more there is to speak. The speaking, layer upon layer
and inexhaustibly, fills all Dharma Realms, not just this one Dharma Realm
of ours, and at no time does the speaking come to an end.

PROLOGUE:

THAT
BEING SO, THEN PLACE TAKEN UP IS THE TIP OF A HAIR, HORIZONTALLY
COMPRISING DHARMA REALMS. TIME IS TAKEN UP A KSHANA, VERTICALLY EXHAUSTING
SEAS OF KALPAS. PLACES ALL AT ONCE ARISE, TIME CONSTANTLY ARISES. DO NOT
ADDUCE OTHER CAUSES.

COMMENTARY:

THAT
BEING SO, THEN, as a consequence of the principles discussed, in now
describing place, PLACE TAKEN UP IS THE TIP OF A HAIR, the tip of a
hair-pore's fine hair, HORIZONTALLY COMPRISING DHARMA REALMS. In
horizontal terms, ft comprises Dharma Realms. That is, Dharma Realms,
which are on so large a scale, can be located upon the point of a single
strand of hair. TIME TAKEN UP IS A KSHANA. If one discusses duration of
time, time takes one kshana. Within one kshana there are ninety-six
instants of birth and death, and a kshana is a very short period of time.
The time taken up is a period short as a kshana, yet VERTICALLY EXHAUSTING
SEAS OF KALPAS, the kalpas being so many that they are like seas.

PLACES
ALL AT ONCE ARISE, which means that the limitlessly many Dharma Realms all
come into being, all appear, at one and the same time. This Happens in the
same way that the moon enters the 'hundred' streams. That is, the
moonlight is reflected in all bodies of water at the same time; it does
not appear first in one and then in another. Dharma Realms arise
simultaneously in the same manner that moonlight appears in waters, and
that kind of state is called sudden arisal.

TIME
CONSTANTLY ARISES. "Constantly" means always and forever,
constant and eternal, continuous and unceasing. There is no temporary
cessation. This means "vertical exhaustion and horizontal
pervasion," vertically exhausting the three boundaries and
horizontally pervading the ten directions. The "three
boundaries" are the boundary of the past, the boundary of the present
and the boundary of the future. There is then vertical exhaustion and
Horizontal penetration, sudden arisal and constant arisal. Places are
described as suddenly arising, while time is described as constantly
arising. DO NOT ADDUCE OTHER CAUSES. Do not anticipate or employ other
kinds of causes to represent this.

PROLOGUE:

YET
IN COMPLIANCE WITH SEEING AMD HEARING, THERE ARE SAID TO BE THE
DISTINCTIONS OF FIRST ACCOMPLISHMENT AND NINE ASSEMBLIES ALL THE KINDLY
AND COMPASSIONATE ONES, IN THE MIDST OF INFINITY, SUMMARIZE THIS
TRANSMISSION.

COMMENTARY:

Still
discussing that cause, it goes on to say VET IN COMPLIANCE WITH SEEING AND
HEARING, that is, as a consequence of compliance with what living beings
see and hear, THERE ARE SAID TO BE THE DISTINCTIONS OF FIRST
ACCOMPLISHMENT AND NINE ASSEMBLIES. It is said that the Flower Adornment
Sutra was spoken in the Bodhimanda at the time of the first accomplishment
of Proper Enlightenment, and that the last of the Nine Assemblies was when
the Flower Adornment Sutra was spoken in the Jeta Grove. Basically there
is no first and last. From the point of view of truth and emptiness, the
state of the Flower Adornment Sutra is one of no beginning and no end, no
first and no last. First can be moved to last, and last can be moved to
first. That kind of state causes people not to understand. Why shouldn't
they understand? If they understood, then it would not be wonderful. If
they don't understand then there manifests this kind of state of
multi-layered inexhaustibility and ineffable wonder.

ALL
THE KINDLY AND COMPASSIONATE ONES, the kindly and compassionate ones being
the Buddhas, find a way to speak the wonderful Dharma, which there is no
way to speak. They, IN THE MIDST OF INFINITY, within this state of
infinitely multi-layered inexhaustibility, SUMMARIZE this TRANSMISSION.
They sum up an speak just a few of the inconceivable principles of the
Flower Adornment Sutra, transmitting them to the world so that they
circulate among people.

PROLOGUE:

WHEN
BROUGHT TO SEARCH IN THIS, ONE SEES UNBOUNDED DHARMAS, LIKE PEERING
THROUGH A KEYHOLE AMD SEEING BOUNDLESS SPACE. NOW TIMES AMP PLACES BOTH
ARE INFINITE. ONE PLACE IS AIL PLACES. ONE TIME IS ALL TIMES.

COMMENTARY:

Some
people are objecting to what was said above, that what is ahead can be
moved back and that what is back can be moved ahead as totally impossible.
Now I'll give you an example of how that can be done. When we now at
present go to see plays about the past, we can see everything that people
did and said in the past. The kinds of clothes they wore, the kinds of
things they used, and everything else can all be seen. Isn't that a case
of moving what was back ahead? How can what is ahead be moved back? We now
do a lot of imagining about what it will be like when, in the Space Age,
we will be able to go to the moon and planets; about how, with the
progress of science, our present television and radio will develop to the
point that people will be able to talk together as if in person over
distances of several tens of thousands of miles without sending telegrams
or telephoning. Isn't that Moving the future back? What's ahead can be
moved back, and what's back in the past can be moved ahead.

This
is like a motion picture film in which there is both movement and
stillness. To start with it is still, before you show it, and no one knows
what the film is. The film is investigating dhyana—what dhyana no one
knows. When it's shown, it moves, and everyone can see what kind of dhyana
was being investigated there. Now the text says, WHEN BROUGHT TO SEARCH IN
THIS, if you are caused to search into the Flower AdornmentSutra, ONE
SEES UNBOUNDED DHARMAS. You will see limitless and boundlessly many
wonderful dharmas and inconceivable states. What is this like? It is LIKE
PEERING THROUGH A KEYHOLE, like looking out through a tiny opening AND
SEEING BOUNDLESS SPACE. Even though the opening is very small, still,
looking out of it, you can see throughout all space, a boundless expanse.

NOW
TIMES AND PLACES BOTH ARE INFINITE. Why are the place: and times that are
under discussion described as being vertically exhaustive and horizontally
pervasive? It is because they are the same as looking out from the space
delimited by a keyhole and seeing infinite space. Therefore, the times and
places are described as being infinite. ONE PLACE IS ALL PLACES. In a
single location you can pervasively fill a places. ONE TIME IS ALL TIMES.
There is no past, no present, and no future. There is totality, entirety
of substance. If you understand that kind of inconceivable state, the uses
you will have from it win also be inconceivable.

PROLOGUE:

TWO,
BECAUSE OF THE FULFILLMENT OF PAST CAUSES. WHY IS THE DHARMA THAT WAY, THAT
THEY IN THAT WAY TURN? IT IS BECAUSE THE PAST CAUSES WERE DEEP. WHEN THE
ROOTS ARE DEEP, THEN THE FRUIT IS FLOURISHING. WHEN THE SOURCE IS DISTANT,
THEN THE FLOW IS LONG. BECAUSE THE PAST CAUSES WERE DEEP, THE ARISAL OF
THE TEACHING IS ALSO GREAT.

COMMENTARY:

TWO,
BECAUSE OF THE FULFILLMENT OF PAST CAUSES. The Second Cause is due to the
fulfillment of the causes and conditions from previous lives. WHY IS THE
DHARMA THAT WAY, THAT THEY IN THAT WAY TURN? Why should the Dharma be that
way, that they turn the Dharma wheel and speak the Flower Adornment Sutra?
IT IS BECAUSE THE PAST CAUSES WERE DEEP. The reason is that the causes
from previous lives were extremely profound. The text goes on to say, WHEN
THE ROOTS ARE DEEP, THEN THE FRUIT IS FLOURISHING. Whenever roots extend
deep, then the branches, foliage, flowers and fruit will be very abundant,
fresh and luxuriant. WHEN THE SOURCE IS DISTANT, THEN THE FLOW IS LONG.
When the source of a stream of water is very far away, then the territory
it flows through will necessarily be extensive. BECAUSE THE PAST CAUSES
WERE DEEP, inasmuch as the causes from past live were that profound, THE
ARISAL OF THE TEACHING IS ALSO GREAT. The Teaching spoken by the Buddha is
certain to be great.

PROLOGUE:

HOW
WERE THEY DEEP AND GREAT? THE BUDDHA, THE WORLD-HONORED ONE, BEGAN AND
FOLLOWED THE ESOTERIC TRACES, AMD SETTLED INTO WONDROUS STILLNESS.
COMPASSION AND WISDOM WERE BOTH EMPLOYED, WHILE HIS CONDUCT AND VOWS WERE
AN EVEN MATCH.

COMMENTARY:

HOW
WERE THEY DEEP AND GREAT? What is meant by past lives' causes being
deep resulting in the Teaching's being great? It goes on to explain:
THE BUDDHA, THE WORLD-HONORED ONE...It's because the World-Honored One,
Shakyamuni Buddha, BEGAN AND FOLLOWED THE ESOTERIC TRACES. He started out
and followed along the esoteric traces—the inconceivable state—of all
the Buddhas of the past, AND SETTLE? INTO WONDROUS STILLNESS. He came to
dwell in wonderful stillness, which is also an inconceivable state.

COMPASSION
AND WISDOM WERE BOTH EMPLOYED. He used great compassion to teach and
transform living beings, causing them to attain great wisdom, leave
suffering and attain to bliss. He also employed great wisdom to teach and
transform living beings. He simultaneously used great compassion and great
wisdom to save living beings. If you only have compassion but no wisdom,
you won't be able to contemplate potentials and entice with teachings,
speak the Dharma according to the person, and prescribe the medicine
according to the illness. Why not? If you only have great compassion but
are very stupid, you won't use your compassion appropriately. If you only
have great wisdom but lack great compassion, then you won't be able to
teach and transform living beings either. Possessing wisdom you will be
very intelligent and know living beings are suffering, but you won't have
the compassion to go save them. If you have great compassion and great
wisdom as well, your compassion assists your wisdom, and your wisdom
assists your compassion, and they are mutually employed.

WHILE
HIS CONDUCT AND VOWS WERE AN EVEN MATCH. That is, the Buddha on the
causal ground made vows to cultivate. His cultivation assisted his vows,
and his vows assisted his cultivation. If you don't make vows but just
cultivate, you could be said to cultivate blindly, without eyes—for vows
are like eyes. If you only have vows but don't cultivate, then you are
like a cripple, unable to walk. Your vows and cultivation complement each
other as do eyes and legs. With vows, you need practice, and with practice
you need vows. If your vows are great and your conduct is great too, then
your great conduct and great vows are an even match. This means conduct
and vows are perfected.

PROLOGUE:

THEREFORE,
WITH FALSE THOUGHT NOT CUT OFF, HE PIERCED STRAIGHT THROUGH TO EMPTINESS.
THE EFFICACIOUS MIRROR HAD NOT BEEN POLISHED, YET HE SUDDENLY BECAME CLEAR
ABOUT TEN THOUSAND DHARMAS. HE THEN USED UNIMPEDED LIBERATION TO SET FORTH
THIS WONDROUS DOOR.

COMMENTARY:

THEREFORE,
WITH FALSE THOUGHT NOT CUT OFF...Why isn't false thought cut off? Because
it's gone. If you have it, you have to cut it off. But here there is no
false thinking, and so no need to sever it. How did he end up with no
false thoughts? It's because his vows were great and so was his conduct.
The power of his vows and conduct scared his false thoughts away, so he
didn't need to cut them off, yet HE PIERCED STRAIGHT THROUGH TO EMPTINESS.
Piercing straight through means understanding, in this case understanding
the emptiness of the nature:

The
self-nature is like empty space:

True
and false are within it.

When
you pierce straight through to

the
basic substance,

With
one penetration everything is

penetrated.

One's own nature is
just like empty space. Within space are earth, air, fire and water which,
however, do not interfere with one another. In the same way, the true and
the false are both within the self-nature. When you penetrate through to
the basic substance of the self-nature, with the penetration of one mode,
you penetrate each and every mode. If you enlighten to one aspect, you'll
enlighten to every single matter. Therefore, with one penetration through
to the emptiness of the nature, everything is penetrated.

THE
EFFICACIOUS MIRROR HAD NOT BEEN POLISHED. This refers to the efficacious
mirror in the verse by Dharma Master Shen Hsiu:

The
body is a Bodhi tree,

The
mind like a bright mirror stand.

Time
and again brush it clean,

And
let no dust alight.

The mirror is just
the mind. It doesn't have to be polished, because it has already been
polished to a fine sheen. Wisdom has already emerged. How did that happen?
It was due to having great vows and great conduct, which were an even
match. The efficacious mirror was then already polished, and the mind
needed no further cultivating, for he had already understood the mind and
seen the nature.

UNIVERSAL
WORTHY BODHISATTVA

That is why it
says; YET HE SUDDENLY WAS CLEAR ABOUT TEN THOUSAND DHARMAS. The ten
thousand dharmas became clear all of a sudden, which means he understood
the myriad dharmas, that his mind was the myriad dharmas and that the
myriad dharmas were just his mind.

The mind's being the myriad dharmas is a single root bifurcating into ten
thousand ramifications, while the myriad dharmas being the mind is ten
thousand ramifications returning to a single root.This is just the
one being the many whilethe many is just
the one. How do thelimitless and the
one come about? It’sbecause there are
numbers. When there isstill zero with no
"one" in front, youdon't know the
amount—no matter how many zero's are
added—because nothing is represented. So, this
very efficacious mirror didn't have
to be polished, yet he suddenly was clear about how the myriad dharmas
were all complete within him: vast and great and totally complete.

HE THEN USED UNIMPEDED LIBERATION,used inconceivable,
unobstructed dharmas of liberation, free
from all attachment,TO SET FORTH THIS
WONDROUS DOOR, to proclaim The Great
Means Expansive Buddhaflower Adornment
Sutra,the gateway to the
multitude of wonders,the esoteric and
wonderful Dharma door for cultivation.

PROLOGUE:

ALTHOUGH
THE PAST CAUSES WERE MANY, IN GENERAL THEY WERE OF TOO KINDS.

COMMENTARY:

ALTHOUGH THE PAST
CAUSES WERE MANY, even though the causes from past lives were extremely
numerous, IN GENERAL THEY WERE OF TWO KINDS. Two general categories of
past causes may be distinguished. The first was great vows and the second
was great conduct.

PROLOGUE:

ONE, BECAUSE OF THE
POWER OF GREAT VOWS. THE MANIFESTATION OF MARKS CHAPTER SAYS, "THE
POWER OF VOWS OF VAIROCHANA BUDDHA EXTENDS THROUGHOUT THE DHARMA REALM.
WITHIN EVERY SINGLE LAMP HE CONSTANTLY TURNS THE UNSURPASSED WHEEL."
THE TUSHITA VERSE SAYS, "THUS COME ONES DO NOT APPEAR IN THE WORLD.
NOR DO THEY HAVE NIRVANA. THROUGH THE POWER OF THEIR ORIGINAL GREAT VOWS
THEY MANIFEST DHARMAS OF FREEDOM AND EASE." IN ALL ASSEMBLIES, ALL
ASSISTANCE FROM THE BUDDHAS IS PRESCRIBED AS POWER OF VOWS. THERE IS MORE
THAN ONE CONFIRMATORY PASSAGE IN THE REMAINING TEXT.

COMMENTARY:

ONE, BECAUSE OF THE
POWER OF GREAT VOWS. The first is that the power of vows made by the
Buddha in the past was most great. Because the power of the Buddha's vows
was so great it says the past causes were numerous THEREFORE, THE
MANIFESTATION OF MARKS CHAPTER SAYS...In the Manifestation of Marks
Chapter of the Flower Adornment Sutra, there is a passage of Sutra text
which expresses this very clearly. It says, "THE POWER OF VOWS OF
VAIROCHANA BUDDHA EXTENDS THROUGHOUT THE DHARMA REALM." There is no
place in the entire Dharma Realm, which is not covered by the vows of
Vairochana Buddha. "WITHIN EVERY SINGLE LAND" of all the Buddha
lands of the entire Dharma Realm, HE CONSTANTLY TURNS THE UNSURPASSED
WHEEL." He is forever unchanging, greatly turning the unsurpassed
wheel of wonderful Dharma.

Also,
within THE TUSHITA VERSE it SAYS, in a few lines there, "THUS COME
ONES DO NOT APPEAR IN THE WORLD," Buddhas don't come into the world,
"NOR DO THEY HAVE NIRVANA." They don't have any Nirvana either.
Because they never came, they never go. Aren't they called "Thus Come
Ones" because they neither come nor go? THROUGH THE POWER OF THEIR
ORIGINAL VOWS, using the huge power of their basic vows, THEY MANIFEST
DHARMAS OF FREEDOM AND EASE. They manifest free and easy production and
free and easy extinction: coming into the world totally at ease, and just
as independently entering extinction—manifesting those dharmas of
freedom and ease.

IN
ALL ASSEMBLIES, All ASSISTANCE FROM THE BUDDHAS, in every assembly in
which the Buddha spoke the Sutra, whenever it mentions aid on the part of
the Buddhas, it all IS DESCRIBED AS POWER OF VOWS, Buddhas past vows.
THERE IS MORE THAN ONE CONFIRMATORY PASSAGE IN THE REMAINING TEXT. There
are more passages in the rest of the Sutra, which support this. In fact,
there is considerable confirmatory evidence.

PROLOGUE:

TWO,
BECAUSE OF THE POWER OF PAST CONDUCT. THAT IS, BECAUSE FOR LIMITLESS
KALPAS, BASED UPON VOWS, HE GAVE RISE TO CONDUCT. WHEN THAT CONDUCT WAS
ACCOMPLISHED, HE ACHIEVED THE FRUIT, AND THEN WAS ABLE SUDDENLY TO
PROCLAIM. THE MOUNTAIN-RULING SPIRIT'S VERSE SAYS, "HIS PAST
CULTIVATION OF SUPREME CONDUCT HAD NO SOUNDS, SO THE SPIRITUAL
PENETRATIONS HE NOW ACQUIRES ARE ALSO LIMITLESS. DHARMA DOORS VASTLY BURST
OPEN IN NUMBER LIKE DUSTMOTES, COMPLETELY, MAKING LIVING BEINGS DEEPLY
ENLIGHTENED AND JOYOUS."

COMMENTARY:

TWO,
BECAUSE OF THE POWER OF PAST CONDUCT. The first type of past cause was
vows, and the second is conduct. This refers to the doors of conduct,
which were cultivated in the past. It can mean during the life before this
or the life before that, this kalpa or the kalpa before this, or during
limitless kalpas. THAT IS, BECAUSE FOR LIMITLESS KALPAS, from limitless
kalpas in the past up to right now, BASED UPON VOWS, HE GAVE RISE TO
CONDUCT. He relied upon the vows that he had made to act.

So,
you have to make vows and practice according to them. No matter how much I
teach you, if you don't make vows it's useless. WHEN THAT CONDUCT WAS
ACCOMPLISHED, HE ACHIEVED THE FRUIT. When you bring your cultivation to
accomplishment, then you will obtain the fruit. You'll ask, "How did
I get the fruit?" You'll just have it without knowing. "Did I
cultivate yesterday, the day before, or today that it's like this?"
Before you won't have known whether your nostrils pointed up or down, but
now you'll understand.

AND
THEN WAS ABLE SUDDENLY TO PROCLAIM. Thereupon he was capable, immediately,
of proclaiming The Great Means Expansive Buddha. Flower Adornment Sutra.
If he hadn't made vows in the past and cultivated, he would have had no
way to become a Buddha or speak the Great Flower Adornment Sutra.
Therefore, THE MOUNTAIN-RULING SPIRIT'S VERSE SAYS, in praise of
Shakyamuni Buddha, "HIS PAST CULTIVATION OF SUPREME CONDUCT,"
all the different kinds of supreme practices the World Honored One
cultivated in the past, "HAD NO BOUNDS." Those supreme practices
were limitless and boundless, more than one could ever count or describe.

SO
THE SPIRITUAL PENETRATIONS HE NOW ACQUIRES ARE ALSO LIMITLESS. Now he gets
spiritual penetrations, which, too, are limitless and boundless and so
DHARMA DOORS VASTLY BURST OPEN. On what scale? IN NUMBER LIKE DUSTMOTES.
The Dharma doors are as many in number as particles of fine dust, not just
eighty-four thousand. How does this work? COMPLETELY MAKING LIVING BEINGS
DEEPLY ENLIGHTENED AND JOYOUS. Every single Dharma door totally and
completely makes all living beings profoundly open enlightenment and
become profoundly joyful. This means every single person as well as every
single living being is greatly happy, laughs in the way you do when I
crack jokes.

PROLOGUE:

THREE,
BECAUSE OF RESPONDING IN ACCORDANCE WITH potentials. THAT IS, ALTHOUGH
FROM PAST CAUSES THE DHARMA IS THAT WAY AND CAN BE CONSTANT AND PERVASIVE,
FOR THERE TO BE FLOWS OF TRANSMISSION, THEY MUST BE DUE TO RESPONDING TO
POTENTIALS. FOR IF THE DHARMA IS SPOKEN APART FROM POTENTIALS, IT IS
USELESS. THIS IS AS WHEN ABOVE THERE IS DAYTIME SUN HELPING CLEAR A POOL
OF WATER BELOW. IF THE WATER IN THE POOL IS CLEAR, THEN REFLECTIONS
APPEAR: RESPONSE ACCORDING TO POTENTIALS SHOULD ARISE.

COMMENTARY:

THREE,
the Third Cause, speaks of responding to potentials: BECAUSE OF RESPONDING
IN ACCORDANCE WITH POTENTIALS. THAT IS, ALTHOUGH FROM PAST CAUSES THE
DHARMA IS THAT WAY, the Dharma is just that way, as was discussed before,
AND CAN BE CONSTANT AND PERVASIVE. Although it can be constant and
pervasive as was said, FOR THERE TO BE FLOWS OF TRANSMISSION, if there are
to be possibilities of transmission, THEY MUST BE DUE TO RESPONDING TO
POTENTIALS. Response to potentials must enter into the picture. FOR IF THE
DHARMA IS SPOKEN APART FROM POTENTIALS...If you speak the Dharma and there
are potentials, that is, if people listen—for by "potentials"
is meant the living beings who hear the Dharma, while
"responding" refers to an intertwining of response and the
Way—then as soon as you start to speak Dharma the living beings turn up
to listen. For example, right now we are lecturing the Prologue to the
Flower Adornment Sutra, and every evening a certain number of people come
to listen to the Dharma: that's response. For that reason, when I lecture
sutras, I lecture whether there are lots of people or only a few. If the
response is great, then more people come, and if the response is small,
then fewer arrive. Now we're enlarging, so there will be enough room for
several hundred to come and listen. That is responding in accordance with
potentials. But if it is apart from potentials, if when I lectured the
Flower Adornment Sutra nobody came to listen, that would be speaking
Dharma apart from potentials. If I spoke the Dharma with no assembly
listening, then for whom would I be lecturing?

You
may say, "Dharma Master, I heard you say before that you lectured for
the chairs and tables, and isn't that a case of speaking Dharma for
insentients?" Not bad. Insentients listen to the Dharma, and sentient
beings should even more so listen to the Dhanna. When insentients listen
to the Dharma it only has some practical application after several great
kalpas, but it is certain to be applicable right away when sentient beings
hear the Dharma. When insentient beings listen to Dharma, the seeds of
Bodhi that they plant sprout extremely slowly, whereas when sentient
beings hear the Dharma they rapidly bring forth the resolve for
Bodhi, so there's a difference: for if the Dharma is spoken apart from
potentials, it is useless.

What
is this like? THIS IS AS WHEN ABOVE THERE IS A DAYTIME SUN. It's daytime
and the sun is in the sky, HELPING CLEAR A POOL OF WATER BELOW. The sun
above is assisting the clarity of the water in the pool below, so it
becomes pure and transparent. IF THE WATER IN THE POOL IS CLEAR, THEN
REFLECTIONS APPEAR. If it's a clear pool, then if a person approaches the
Side of the pool, a person will be reflected in the water. If a
Bodhisattva appears, then a Bodhisattva will be reflected. If a ghost
appears, and then ghosts are reflected—not just one but layer upon layer
of ghostly reflections, mixed up with the human ones. Why? It's because
the water in the pool is clear. This then means RESPONSE ACCORDING TO
POTENTIALS SHOULD ARISE. There should be response according to potentials.

PROLOGUE:

THEREFORE,
THE TUSHITA VERSE SAYS, "SEEING THE BUDDHA IS ALSO THAT WAY. IT MUST
BE FROM MULTITUDES OF GOOD KARMA." THE BUDDHAS OF THE TEN DIRECTIONS
ADDRESSED FOREST OF MERIT AND VIRTUE SAYING, "AND ALSO ALL
BODHISATTVAS IS DUE TO THE POWER OF THE MULTITUDES OF GOOD ROOTS."
MOON OF LIBERATION SAID, "THIS ASSEMBLE HAS NO DEFILEMENT. THEIR
RESOLUTION AND UNDERSTATING IS COMPLETELY BRIGHT AND CLEAR," AND SO
FORTH. THESE ARE ALL RESPONSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH POTENTIALS.

COMMENTARY:

THEREFORE,
THE TUSHITA VERSE, a gatha in the Tushita Heaven Chapter, SAVES,
"SEEING THE BUDDHA IS ALSO THAT WAY." It says the causes for
seeing Buddhas are the same way. There must be responses according to
potentials, such causes, for one to see the Buddha. The causes must be good
causes. IT MUST BE FROM MULTITUDES OF GOOD KARMA. Without good causes, you
won't see the Buddha, hear the Dharma or encounter members of the Sangha.

THE
BUDDHAS OF THE TEN DIRECTIONS ADDRESSED FOREST OF MERIT AND VIRTUE SAVING,
to the Bodhisattva Forest of Merit and Virtue, "AND ALSO ALL
BODHISATTVAS IS DUE TO THE POWER OF THE MULTITUDES OF GOOD ROOTS."
It's not just to see the Buddha that you need good causes; you require
them to see Bodhisattvas as well. Without good causes, not only will you
not see Buddhas, but you won't even see Bodhisattvas. Then, too, MOON OF
LIBERATION Bodhisattva SAID, "THIS ASSEMBLE HAS NO DEFILEMENT."
He said that the multitudes within the Dharma assembly had no defilement,
that they were a11 pure. "THEIR RESOLUTION AND UNDERSTANDING ARE
COMPLETELY BRIGHT AND CLEAR." They are totally resolute and
intelligent. That is, these potentials are just about to ripen, and so a
response will occur. AND SO FORTH means principles like the ones just
mentioned. THESE ARE ALL RESPONSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH POTENTIALS. All are
examples of intertwining of response and Way for potentials.

PROLOGUE:

TO
DESCRIBE RESPONSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH POTENTIALS AT GREAT LENGTH, THEY ARE
AS DISCUSSED WITHIN THE FOURTH, THE POTENTIALS COVERED BY THE TEACHING.
WHEN THERE ARE RESPONSES ACCORDING WITH POTENTIALS, THEY connect THE
PRESENT WITH THE FUTURE. ALL ASSEMBLIES OF CURRENT POTENTIALS ARE SIMPLY
THE PRESENT. THOSE WHO NOW HEAR ARE POTENTIALS OF THE FUTURE.

COMMENTARY:

TO
DESCRIBE RESPONSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH POTENTIALS AT GREAT LENGTH, if one
goes into responses and potentials in detail, a great deal can be said.
THEY ARE AS DISCUSSED WITHIN THE FOURTH, THE POTENTIALS COVERED By THE
TEACHING. The Fourth Door, The Potentials Covered by the Teaching,
discusses the potentials—the living beings taught and transformed—at
greater length. WHEN THERE ARE RESPONSES ACCORDING WITH POTENTIALS that
occur, THEY CONNECT THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE. They cover the present
potentials and the potentials of the future.

What
are the present potentials? They are ALL ASSEMBLIES OF CURRENT POTENTIALS.
All assemblies of current potentials are potentials of the present. What
time is meant by those assemblies? It means the time of Shakyamuni Buddha,
which is referred to as "the present." That is just the past for
us of the present time. We now are what was previously the future, while
our future is going to be the present for those of the future. That is why
it says that all assemblies of current potentials ARE SIMPLY THE PRESENT.
All of the assemblies of current potentials at the time when the Buddha
Speaks The Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra are the
Great Masters of the Dharma Body, that is, the Bodhisattvas of the Six
Positions: the Ten Dwellings, the Ten Conducts, the Ten Transferences, the
Ten Grounds, Equal Enlightenment and Wonderful Enlightenment. They are
what is referred to as the present. That present is the present of what
for us is the past, not our present time.

THOSE WHO NOW HEAR,
in what is for us the present, all those listening to the Flower Adornment
Sutra, ARE POTENTIALS OF THE FUTURE. We were the future for that time, and
so when the Buddha spoke the Flower Adornment Sutra, he already knew there
would be all of us not particularly sincere people here going through the
motions of studying and practicing the Buddhadharma and listening to the
Flower Adornment Sutra. However, there are some that are really intent on
study and practice, whereas others are just following along. Those who now
are just following along are those who will study and practice in the
future. Those who now study and practice are people whom in the past were
just following along. Before, they just dropped in to the Dharma assembly
to see what was going on. When they got there, they took one look and were
frightened out of their wits: "Studying the Buddhadharma is out of
the question! It's too hard!" and they ran away. They kept running
and running, but they couldn't run outside the Dharma Realm. So, as it
turned out, now they're studying and practicing. They've run long enough,
and returned to study and practice the Buddhadharma. Also, right now some
have come to follow along and take a look, and having looked, run off.
Then after one does not know how long, when they have no place to run,
they will run back. In that way, those following along right now are the
potentials of the future, whereas those studying and practicing right now
are present Potentials. This, too, is response in accordance with
potentials.

MIRROR
WISDOM

In
light of
morning sun

I
strikeand
lop

a
dewy white rose from
its vine,

In
each of the ten directions.

They
fallsimultaneously,

and
I am submerged

in
a deluge

of
roses

By light

of the moon

I
hurla rock

at the mirror

in
each of the ten directions.

They
shattersimultaneously,

the
reflectionbrighter

than
ever!

-Michael
Fallarino, Catskill N.Y.

PROLOGUE:

FOUR,
FOR THE SAKE OF THE ROOT OF THE TEACHING. THAT IS, WITHOUT THE SEA THERE
WOULD BE NO HIDDEN FLOWS. WITHOUT THE ROOT THERE WOULD BE NO TRAILING
BRANCHTIPS.

COMMENTARY:

FOUR,
FOR THE SAKE OF THE ROOT OF THE TEACHING. The Fourth kind of Cause is for
the sake of the basic root of the Teaching. It is to act as the basic root
of the Teaching that he should speak The Great Means Expansive Buddha
Flower Adornment Sutra. There is an analogy for this. It is like the sea,
and so it says THAT IS, WITHOUT THE SEA THERE WOULD BE NO HIDDEN FLOWS.
If there were no great sea, there would be no hidden flows of water above
and below the earth, from the four cardinal points and the eight
directions, returning to the sea. WITHOUT THE ROOT THERE WOULD BE NO
TRAILING BRANCHTIPS. If you don't attain to the basic root of the
Teaching, you have no way to know the branch-tips." This also refers
to the sudden being based upon the gradual.

Gradual,
step by step methods are spoken for the sake of the Sudden Teaching. Also,
this is as described by the T'ien T'ai School:

For
the sake of the actual

he
bestows the provisional;

Then
the provisional is opened

to
reveal the actual.

He speaks
provisional dharmas for the sake of the actual Dharma. When he opens up
the provisional dharmas, the actual Dharma is disclosed. The
"root" is actual Dharma, while the "branch-tips" are
provisional dharmas. If there were no true and actual Dharma, he would not
be able to speak the provisional.

Therefore,
without the root there would be no trailing branch-tips. With no root, how
could there be foliage? If there were no sea, it couldn't take in the fine
streams. This also means that the other sutras are like fine streams,
where as The Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra is like
the great sea. Didn't it say before, "Of multitudes of texts it forms
the copious source," the great fountainhead? It also said,
"While companies of sutras comprise its retinue." That was just
saying that without the sea there would be no hidden flows. So, it is for
the sake of the root of the Teaching that he speaks The Great Means
Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra, as the root of the Teaching.

PROLOGUE:

INTENDING TO FOLLOW
THE POTENTIALS, HE GRADUALLY BESTOWED THE BRANCH-TIP TEACHINGS. AT FIRST,
TO REVEAL THE ROOT DHARMA, HE SUDDENLY PROCLAIMED THIS SUTRA.

COMMENTARY:

INTENDING
TO FOLLOW THE POTENTIALS...Shakyamuni Buddha wished to Instruct the
potentials—that is, the Living beings whom he had been teaching and
transforming for limitless great kalpas and whom he needed to teach and
transform. Therefore, HE GRADUALLY BESTOWED THE BRANCH-TIP TEACHINGS. Bit
by bit he had to start by speaking the branch-tip teachings. However,
prior to bestowing the branch-tip teachings-—that is, the Small
Teaching, the Initial Teaching, and the Final Teaching, which the T'ien
T'ai calls the Tripitaka Teaching, the Agama and the Vaipulya Periods—AT
FIRST TO REVEAL THE ROOT DHARMA, at the outset, to explain the fundamental
and essential Dharma, HE SUDDENLY PROCLAIMED THIS SUTRA. He, then, very
quickly proclaimed The Great Means Expansive Buddha Flowers Adornment
Sutra.

PROLOGUE:

THIS IS FURTHER OF
TWO KINDS ONE, TO DISCLOSE THE ROOT OF THE GRADUAL. THE APPEARANCES
CHAPTER SAYS, "AS WHEN THE SUN FIRST RISES, IT INITIALLY LIGHTS UP
THE LOFTY MOUNTAINS." TWO, TO GATHER IN THE BRANCH-TIPS OF THE ROOT,
"AS THE SUN, WHEN IT SETS, AGAIN LIGHTS UP THE LOFTY MOUNTAINS."

COMMENTARY:

In
the previous passage of text, where it said, "in the Fourth, the
Potentials. Covered by the Teaching," it is also referring to the
Fourth Teaching, the Sudden Teaching, for they are potentials covered by
the Sudden Teaching. Now we are discussing the Fourth Cause, For the Sake
of the Root of the Teaching, and THIS IS FURTHER OF TWO KINDS. ONE, TO
DISCLOSE THE ROOT OF THE GRADUAL, to open up the gradual dharmas to reach
the basic, root Dharma. In THE APPEARANCES CHAPTER of The Great Means
Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra there is a passage of text which
SAYS, "AS WHEN THE SUN FIRST, RISES, IT INITIALLY LIGHTS UP THE LOFTY
MOUNTAINS." When the sun comes up in the morning, it first shines
upon Mount Sumeru, the Iron Ring Mountains and the Seven Golden Mountains,
and so forth, reaching the lofty mountains first. What is meant by
"lofty mountains"? They are an analogy for the Great Masters of
the Dharma Body, the Great Bodhisattvas of the Ten Faiths, the Ten
Dwellings, the Ten Conducts, the Ten Transferences and the Ten Grounds.
When the Buddha first accomplished the Way, it was like the sun first
coming up. He spoke Dharma first of all for the Great Bodhisattvas,
speaking the inconceivable Dharma of the Great Flower Adornment Sutra, the
way the sun first shines upon the highest peaks. That was opening the
provisional to reveal the actual, speaking the true and actual Dharma
first of all, which was disclosing the root of the gradual.

TWO, TO GATHER
IN THE BRANCH-TIPS OF THE ROOT. The second was to return the Small Vehicle
to the Great Vehicle, persuading the Small Vehicle Sound Hearers and those
Enlightened to Conditions both to return to the Great Vehicle. That was to
gather in the branch-tips, the Small Vehicle, to the root, the Great
Vehicle, "AS THE SUN, WHEN IT SETS, AGAIN LIGHTS UP THE LOFTY
MOUNTAINS." What is this like? It is as when the sun, about to set,
shines on the highest peaks. The sun itself definitely does not say to
itself, "I'm going to shine on the high mountains first, and then
illumine the level ground" It doesn't make those distinctions, but
shines everywhere. The Buddha is that way too. When the Buddha, at first,
spoke The Great Flower Adornment sutra and taught the Bodhisattvas, he
didn't make those kinds of discriminations either. It was just because
the. Bodhisattvas had Great Vehicle root-natures that they obtained the
wonderful Dharma of the Great Vehicle.

PROLOGUE:

BECAUSE
THERE IS NOTHING WHICH DOES NOT FLOW FORTH FROM THIS DHARMA REALM,

THERE
IS "NOTHING WHICH DOES NOT RETURN TO THIS DHARMA REALM.

COMMENTARY:

The basic root
stands for the Dharma Realm. All the myriad existing dharmas flow forth
from the Dharma Realm. That is known as the one being able to transform
into the limitless. BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING WHICH FOES NOT. FLOW FORTH
FROM THIS "DHARMA REALM. The limitless return to the one. Didn't we
say before that the Dharma Realm is so great there is nothing beyond it
and so small there is nothing within it? Discussed in large terms, there
is nothing bigger, while in small terms, nothing is smaller. Ultimately,
is it large or small? It isn't large and it isn't small. The Dharma Realm
is just The Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment
Sutra, while The
Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra is the Dharma Realm.
There isn't a single dharma which doesn't come forth from the Flower
Adornment Sutra, nor is there any dharma which fails to return to within
the Dharma of the Flower Adornment Sutra. Therefore, it is the Dharma of
the Dharma Realm, which includes each and every dharma within it.

Consequently,
studying the Dharma of The Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Sutra is
just studying the Dharma of our own self-nature, for our self-nature is
identical with the Dharma-Realm. Old people, should study this Dharma
Realm because they have little time left to live in this world, the reason
being that THERE IS NOTHING WHICH DOES NOT RETURN TO THIS DHARMA REALM, so
they should "find" the Dharma Realm. Young people should study
this Dhanna too, "because there is nothing which doe's not flow forth
this Dharma Realm." They should study this Dharma which has flowed
forth from within the Dharma Realm. When you have mastered this Dharma,
then those of you who were not filial to their parents will know how to be
filial to their parent. Those who were unable to benefit others will know
how to do so, for to cultivate the Bodhisattva Way one must benefit
oneself by benefiting others.

The
Sutra's good points, then, are many. Do you want your parents to live
long? You may say, "I would like to be filial, but I'm afraid my
parents are going to die soon." It doesn't matter. Come and study the
Flower Adornment Sutra. Flower Adornment Bodhisattva fulfills all wishes.
If you want your parents to have long lives, he will grant your wish, and
you'll be able to be filial longer. If you hope your parents will not have
any accidents or illnesses, then study the Flower Adornment Sutra and
listen to the Dharma of the Flower Adornment Sutra. Then speak a little
Dharma for your parents and get them to give rise to fewer afflictions,
and that will decrease their illnesses too, for sickness comes from
afflictions. If you have no afflictions, you won't get sick. There are
some people who would like to be filial to their parents. However:

The
tree wishes to be still,

but the wind does not rest.

The son wishes to be filial,

but his parents are gone.

They feel like
being filial, but their parents have died, and so they are like trees
being blown by the wind, wishing to be still while the wind keeps on
blowing. Should they wait for their parents to come back to life before
studying the Sutra? No. Although your parents have died, their souls are
still in existence. If you master this Dharma, you can save their souls.

Others,
when I mentioned filiality, thought to themselves, "This Dharma can't
be used in the West. I personally would like to see my parents die sooner
so I can inherit their money." You might prefer that, but when you
yourself have children they won't stop at wishing for your death but, to
avenge their grandparents, will even take a gun and shoot you. Would you
prefer that? So be careful not to have those kinds of thoughts.

PROLOGUE:

THE DHARMA FLOWER
ALSO SAYS, "THOSE WHO FIRST SEE ME, HEAR WHAT I SAY, AND BELIEVE AND
ACCEPT IT, ENTER THE THUS COME ONE'S WISDOM," they attain the wisdom
of a Buddha, WHICH IS THE ROOT OF THE GRADUAL. This refers to the basic
Dharma underlying the gradual. IT FURTHER SAYS, "EXCEPT FOR THOSE WHO
BEFORE CULTIVATED AND STUDIED THE SMALL VEHICLE," WHICH IS THE
OPENING OF THE GRADUAL. IT ALSO SAYS, "I NOW TOO AM CAUSED TO
COME TO HEAR THIS SUTRA, AND ENTER INTO THE WISDOM OF THE SUTRA," AND
ENTER INTO THE WISDOM OF THE BUDDHA." WHICH IS GATHERING THE
BRANCH-TIPS TO RETURN TO THE ROOT.

COMMENTARY:

THE DHARMA FLOWER
ALSO SAYS, it furthermore says in the Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra,
"THOSE WHO FIRST SEE ME, HEAR what I SAY, who see me and hear the
Dharma I speak, AND BELIEVE AND ACCEPT IT, ENTER THE THUS COME ONE'S
WISDOM," they attain the wisdom of a Buddha, WHICH IS THE ROOT OF THE
GRADUAL. This refers to the basic Dharma underlying the gradual. IT
FURTHER SAYS, moreover, "EXCEPT FOR THOSE WHO BEFORE CULTIVATION AND
STUDIED THE SMALL VEHICLE," making exception of those who in the past
vowed to study and practice the Small Vehicle, WHICH IS THE OPENING OF THE
GRADUAL. This is to open up the gradual from the basic root, which is to
bestow the provisional for the sake of the actual.

IT
ALSO SAYS, "I NOW TOO AM CAUSED TO COME TO HEAR THIS SUTRA." I
have heard this, The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, or, as now
The
Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra, which is the same
principle, AND ENTER THE BUDDHA'S WISDOM." I acquire the wisdom of a
Buddha, WHICH IS GATHERING THE BRANCH-TIPS TO RETURN TO THE ROOT. This
gathers in the branch-tips, the Small Vehicle, to return to the Great
Vehicle.

PROLOGUE:

THIS
THEN INDICATES THE DHARMA FLOWER ALSO DESIGNATES THESE SUTRAS AS THE ROOT.

PROLOGUE:

THIS
THEN INDICATES, that is, the previously quoted passages of text also show
the DHARMA FLOWER, that within The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra it
ALSO DESIGNATES THIS SUTRA AS THE ROOT, saying that The Great Means
Expansive Buddha Flower Sutra is the basic root of the Buddhadharma. The
Dharma Flower Sutra is completely perfect and uniquely wonderful, and yet
it praises the Flower Adornment Sutra and takes it as its basis.
Therefore, the basic root of the Teaching is the Flower Adornment
Sutra.
There's no doubt about it.

The
Avatamsaka Sutra Prologue is a bilingual series. The Chinese in this
issue represents the English found in issue #105 as well as this issue.

SPRING RECITATION SESSION

March
16-23 marks a week of Recitation of the name of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva at
Void Mountain Monastery and the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Those
interested in participating in this intensive session should contact Gold
Mountain, 1731 15th Street, San Francisco at (415) 621-5202 or the City of
Ten Thousand Buddhas, 2000 Talmage Road, Talmage Ca, at (707) 462-0939.

NEW FROM BTTS

Shurangama Sutra,
Volume II contains a discussion of the ten manifestations of seeing and of
individual and collective karma. Available in April.

Songs for Awakening,
songs inspired by the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Venerable
Master Hsuan Hua. Available in late spring.

With One Heart Bowing to the
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Volume II contains Bhikshu Heng Sure and
Shramanera Heng Ch'au's daily accounts of their rigorous pilgrimage from
Los Angeles to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.